The 18 countries where expats have the best quality of life

Shige.H / Shutterstock Networking service InterNations surveyed 14,000 people for its third annual InterNations Expat Insider 2016 survey — in what has been tipped as "one of the most extensive studies ever conducted to explore the general living situation of expatriates."

The survey asked expats to rate several elements to their living experiences, including their safety and security, their health, and their personal happiness, as well as the leisure options available to them, and the quality of transport and travel available.

These were then combined to give a score for each country's overall quality of life. You can see the countries that scored highest below:

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18. Ecuador — The small South American republic, nestled in the Pacific northwest of the continent, saw its overall position in terms of quality of life boosted by finishing fifth in the personal happiness area.

The Cotopaxi volcano, one of the world's highest active volcanoes, spews ash and smoke as seen from Quito, Ecuador, August 27, 2015.
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17. Luxembourg — Famous as a haven for financiers and bankers, Luxembourg topped the safety and security area of Expat Insider's survey, but finished outside the top ten in every other sub-index.

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16. Australia — Australia is famous as a hub for disillusioned Europeans to move for a better life, and that is reflected in its overall position on the list. It ranked sixth for the quality of its leisure options.

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15. France — Expats living in Europe's third largest economy have one of the best qualities of life anywhere, scoring particularly well for health and wellbeing — thanks to the country's world class healthcare.

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14. Portugal — A classic holiday destination for Europeans, Portugal is also popular among expats, who enjoy great leisure options.

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13. New Zealand — Like Australia, New Zealand is a haven for disgruntled citizens of the northern hemisphere looking for a fresh start. The nation ranked sixth for the personal happiness of expats.

12. Canada — Despite finishing fourth in the safety and security sub-index of the Quality of Life ranking, Canada just misses out on being on of the ten best places for expats.

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11. South Korea — South Korea may not seem like the most obvious place for people to move abroad, but those who do enjoy a great quality of life. Its highest sub-index score was seventh in the travel and transport area.

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10. Switzerland — Politically neutral and independent, Switzerland often scores well in quality of life rankings, and Expat Insider's list is no different. Switzerland's highest individual ranking was fifth for travel and transport.

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9. Germany — The powerhouse of Europe's economy is also one of the best places on the planet for expats, with capital city Berlin attractive to young Brits in particular. Germany's best sub-index score was for health and wellbeing.

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8. Singapore — The tiny city-state is famous as a financial centre, but is also home to a big expat community. Those expats enjoy a great quality of life, according to Expat Insider, which ranks Singapore as having the best travel and transport of any country surveyed.

6. Malta — With the best leisure options of any nation surveyed, the Mediterranean island of Malta is the third best nation in Europe for expats.

5. Costa Rica — The tiny rainforest covered nation of Costa Rica in central America is a paradise for expats, according to Expat Insider. It ranked as the best nation for personal happiness of those surveyed.

4. Spain — Beautiful beaches, warm weather, and a relaxed pace of life make Spain a pretty obvious choice for expats. It has the second best leisure options sub-index score in Expat Insider's ranking.

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3. Japan — As well as being one of the world's biggest economies, Japan is also a pretty great place to be an expat. Its overall quality of life score is boosted by top six scores for safety and security, health and wellbeing, and travel and transport.

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2. Austria — The small central European nation had the best health and wellbeing score of any nation surveyed, and that has pushed the country towards the very top of the Expat Insider ranking.

1. Taiwan — The island nation off mainland China officially has the best quality of life of any nation for expats, according to Expat Insider. It scored well across the board, but was best in the health and wellbeing sub-index where it finished second.